His Butler: His Alchemist
by jmtothemusic
Summary: Edward is drawn into London's Victorian era, faced by a pretentious upper class and manners. When he's rescued by our favorite butler, Sebastian, he is forced to take refuge in the Phantomhive estate...unfortunately, Ciel isn't too happy about this. Slight AU. Drama and Angst, with a touch of Humor: After all, Edward is not familiar with a little thing called 'manors'.
1. Chapter 1

He felt the sweat drip from his hair, and roll across his cheek. Eyes wild. Heart pounding. Lungs gasping...He ran.

The chase was on. He was the victum. Normally, the boy would have stood his ground, clapped his hands, and fought. But this time things were different.

Not only had the boy recognized the sinister tune playing its horrors over and over again, but his pursuer had shown a display of his power, and appeared practically immortal.

Well, that is, because he had no_ body_.

The boys pursuer was a bodiless DOLL, a walking puppet that played a creepy tune day in day out, and when not playing, he was threatening.

The tune was one from the boys long gone childhood; he remembered the children dancing round and round, grasping each others hands in such amusement as they sang the joyous song, 'london bridge'.

But this time, after all these years of not hearing the sound, of not feeling such fulfillment, the boy coward away from the song, for it hadn't sounded the same.

_London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down! london bridge is falling down, my fair lady. _

_Faster.. Faster, dammit! WHY WONT MY AUTOMAIL MOVE FASTER?! I'm gonna get caught... oh, gosh, Al... damnit all, Al... I'll make it...! I'll make it for you...Niisan. _

LOndon BRidge Is FAlling DOwn-faLLInG dOWn fALLINg dOwN-LOndON bRidgE iS fAllinG doWN- mY FaiR lADY!

The sound wafted into the child's ears, louder and louder as it came closer and closer; the living doll was persistent, keeping its pace up with the speed of the fast child, whose fear was driving his limbs- or rather, limb.

He felt a touch on his left shoulder- _Oh, shit, he's got me...I have to fight, I'm gonna... I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die- _

Turning his head staring behind him, was his pursuer, the puppet. one hand outstretched toward him, and just when the child thought all was over, his_ life_ was over, he would never see light again, he felt a **thump**.

Jumping back, the boy expected the worst so he slammed his palms together, when a gloved hand grabbed a hold of his bare wrists. Shaking, the boy looked into his capturer's eyes, and to the child's surprise, they were not of buttons or a puppet.

They were a striking red, absolutely stunning, filled with every sense of the word.

"And who might you be?" spoke the owner of the demonic eyes.

The boy was to startled to respond. He tried making words, putting letters together, but his jaw just hung open, and even while his pupils dilated, his eyes remained as wide as ever, staring dumb found into the mans crimson eyes.

A distant call of, "Seb-ASTIAN!" broke the stare, and the man, apparently Sebastian, looked up.

"It appears as if my young master needs a little assistance. I suppose I could just leave you here." He said, lifting his hands away from the child's wrist. He began to brush off his suit and got into a stance to begin a chase to his "young master", when he heard a small noise.

"Wait..What about the puppet thing?" It said. It was the boy.

Sebastian turned, his cold face staring into the child's cherubic one. He lifted his arm, which held a mass of cotton, buttons, and a harmonica.

"You mean this?"

_How..? This man did it while I was looking at him? When did he get the doll? When did he... kill it? _

"I guess that means you don't have any reason to run?"

So Sebastian began his stance again.

"Wait!" The child said, apparently his voice had came back.

"What's that?" Responded Sebastian, still holding patience for the child, the one that was even smaller than his master.

"Can..."

"Yes, as long as the young master approves, you can come."

_I hate this. I hate that I'm afraid to face this on my own, Al. But I cant die. Because then who'd turn you back to normal? I don't want to leave you all alone. I'm willing to take risks for you, but not for some stupid reason like this, being stuck in this pathetic world with pathetic victorian dresses and a class system. I'll do this, I'll just play it safe with this guy. Yup, feeling pathetic, but for you, its worth it. _

"Come along then." said Sebastian to the boy. Just as the child took a step closer towards the man, Sebastian turned towards him, and stared at him for a few moments. This earned him a glare.

"..WHAT?!" yelled the child defensively.

"You just... remind me of someone." Responded Sebastian with a devious grin on his face. The boy scowled.

"Well," started Sebastian, "lets get a move on, afternoon tea is in fifteen minutes, and the young master will be displeased if he doesn't get his cup."

* * *

**A/N: Yo people, if you're reading this I'd like to say thanks! Let me know if you think I should continue this, I wrote it last year on a whim and decided if anyone liked it I'd post! In case you haven't noticed, 'the boy' is Ed, and he's called a 'boy' in stead of a 'teen' because Sebastian views him as short...like everyone else.**

**Ok. Drop me a review if you get the chance, ideas, if you liked it... if you hated it, feel free to insult me. Wanna blackmail me...? Reviews are the place to do so! :D hehehe I'm in a weird mood today...**

**Anyway, I won't continue this if nobody likes it, it's not the kind of thing that I NEED to write. But I must say, it was fun! So if you guys liked it, I'll continue to update as fast as I can! ;)**

**3 jmtothemusic**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Well," started Sebastian, "lets get a move on, afternoon tea is in fifteen minutes, and the young master will be displeased if he doesn't get his cup." _

* * *

Edward stared up at the tall, demonic butler, feeling his jaw was hanging loose, but not bothering to close it. Sebastian cocked his head to the side, so he could look down at Edward in a way that the boy felt intimidated from. But Ed didn't bother to let that show on his face; there were more important matters to deal with.

_Like earning this guy's respect._ Where Ed came from, there certainly weren't any fancy suits and 'afternoon teas'. _And who in holy Hell is this 'young master' the creeper kept mentioning..?_ Edward just eyed the older man in an attempt to look powerful, as where Ed came from, he was a State Alchemist. Everyone was intimidated by him...well, except for Mustang.

"Are you coming or not, child..?" the kid had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the butler was beginning to walk away. Just then, there was a far off cry in the distance of "Se-BASTIAN!", from what sounded like an innocent child. Only Sebastian knew that the child was _not_ innocent...but quite amusing, in a way. _Don't play with your food, Sebastian. That's quite rude._

Ah, how he loved to play with his prey...

"O-ok, I'm comin'..." Ed said disrespectfully, making Sebastian aware that this child was most definitely not from England.

Soon, they were off at a full sprint, Edward barely keeping up.

* * *

The two arrived at a large building, where a boy sat looking impatient. "Sebastian", he started with an annoyed tone, "Get me down from here, I'm going to fall."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed in respect, a sly grin on his face as he leapt up to the top of the building, and carried the boy back down. Edward stood in awe, not expecting such an action.

_Little cunt!_ Thought Edward, biting his lip in a restraint from yelling out at the boy, who was more like an arrogant princess in Edward's eyes.

"Sebastian, who is this?" Ciel demanded, looking down at Edward (which seemed to be happening a lot, lately). He was still in Sebastian's arms, where he fiddled with his ring.

"Well, I apologize for not introducing you two sooner, Master. This child was being pursued by-"

"Enough!" Ciel interjected, "I don't care to hear any more about him, just why is he here? What do you plan on doing with him?"

Sebastian was about to speak, when Ed thew his hands in his pockets and turned the other way, stating over his shoulder;

"What a bastard, talking about me in front of me like I'm not even there!"

Ciel's eyes narrowed. "_What_ did you just say about me!?"

Edward turned to face him, wanting the other boy to be well aware that no matter how much money or class he had, Ed wouldn't sit around and take his 'masterly' crap. He didn't need to be talked down to like this, he was the Fullmetal Alchemist; the Hero of the People!

"I think you heard me, mister high-and-mighty."

"Do you _hear_ this, Sebastian?! How could you pick up such a manor-less simpleton-!"

"You know what I think about your manors, kid?" Ed challenged.

"What's that, kid?!" Ciel retorted, calling the other 'kid' the same lowly name.

"I think you should take them, and shove them up your little pale-"

*Explict content*

* * *

_There's...there's lights. And there's FOOD... I smell cooking. What is that..? Is it...pancakes? Pie..? Oh, how I could go for some pie..._Edward thought, unaware that after the 'incident', Sebastian had knocked him and his master out and carried over to the Phantomhive manor. He hadn't the slightest clue why the two didn't get along, the two were both male, the same age, they both smelled _delicious..._

_My my,_ thought Sebastian cunningly, _I may have just found my next meal._

When Ciel awoke, he was met with Sebastian's cold eyes. "What," said Ciel, "are you going to dress me or just sit there all day?"

Sebastian bowed apologetically and dressed Ciel as usual. He then waited for the ticking time bomb in his master to burst.

"What exactly happened, Sebastian? I remember that irritating simpleton cursing in a bloody rude way, and then...nothing."

Sebastian waited. _Tick, toc, tick, toc..._

"Sebastian!" the Phantomhive boy hollared, "How _dare_ you blast me over the head! Have you no respect?"

"I'm sorry, young Lord, but it was only neccisary given the situation."

"And what would that be?!"

Sebastian sighed mentally, beginning to explain how if the public knew that Ciel saved a street boy, how he'd be thought of as heroic, and it would make him well-liked.

"I see," Ciel started, bringing a thoughtful hand up to his cherubic chin, "So I must let the peasant stay with us."

Sebastian internally grinned, knowing that this would put a bit of salt and pepper on his meal.

* * *

Edward blinked the sleep out of his eyes, feeling his heavy lids try to close despite his wishes for them to open. _Come on, you gotta get up...What the hell happened last night, anyway?_

He finally convinced his eyes to open, and was met with the face of the creepy butler hovering just about a foot above him.

"Wha-What the hell are you DOING, creep?!"

Sebastian smiled with amusement. "Good morning...I would address you by your name if I'd knew it, but unfortunately you haven't graced me with such kindness yet."

"Have you NOT heard a word that came out of my mouth, creep?!"

"I'm also aware that you don't know my name either; I'm Sebastian Michaels, you may refer to me as such." He said, ignoring Edward's rude behavior with a small dip of his head, which sickened Ed all the more.

"What. The. Hell. You are incredibly strange, you know that, creep?"

Sebastian saw the opening for teasing that the child left for him, and he took it, amused that he acted almost EXACTLY the same as his Master, yet he was allowed to taunt him.

"As are you. And my name is Sebastian, you may refer to me as such."

Ed rolled his eyes, seeing how he repeated himself twice as though it would earn his respect. He gave him an intimidating glance, to which Sebastian returned with a smile.

"What's for breakfast..." Edward asked reluctantly, knowing that this guy wouldn't just let him leave; he had something he wanted, that Edward wasn't sure of yet. The way he looked at him gave him the creeps, hence the nickname "Creep".

"We're preparing all natural pancakes with chocolate chips, a side of delicacy maple syrup over a bowl of freshly picked fruit from our garden. There will be porage to which honey will be provided, and-"

Edward turned down the volume of Sebastian's voice by exploring other sounds that he heard; clanging of dishes and sounds of high-pitched screeching of what must have been the maid; for it was a woman.

"Yeah, yeah, I really don't care that much." Ed brushed off the man's polite speech with some rude inturruption, and stood up to see he was not in his normal clothing. "Where- where are my pants..?"

"They are in the laundry currently. But you haven't the need for such..._brash_ attire."

Edward stared at his new clothing skeptically, seeing it was a night dress. "I like my leather pants, and my red coat. I don't want to wear...whatever the hell this is." he stated with pride.

"Then you must be tasteless. I've never even seen such clothing."

Edward glanced up at him. "Did you..._change_ me..?"

Another grin. "Why, yes I did. I couldn't let you sleep in your wet clothing, now could I..?"

Edward blushed visibly, and turned his head from Sebastian's view. "Yeah, well...don't ever do that again."

Sebastian sighed reluctantly, offering a hand to the child to which he pushed away harshly. "And don't touch me."

"The way you're speaking to me implies that you will be staying here for quite some time, am I wrong?"

Edward stared at his hands, realizing what this meant. "Well, it's not like I really have a choice...even though I really don't like that 'Master' of yours..."

"Then, it's settled...and what should I call you, child..?"

"Just call me Edward."

Sebastian huffed, thinking to himself,_ just like a prince. Though his behavior needs some touching up._

"Yes, _Edward"._

* * *

**_A/N: So... I got some pretty intimidating reviews, from some angry people... don't know what to say about that...But they sure cracked me up! I'll try to update sooner, but I have like 6 stories going at once so it's kinda hard to keep it up... _**

**_Sorry for the wait!_**

**_ANd for the crappy chapter. I didn't edit it very much since I'm in a hurry at the moment but I didn't wanna make you guys wait any longer. I'm experimenting with the character's interaction with one another, and I have a great idea for next chapter now that they've warmed up a little. ;) Though I need some more conversation between Cel and Ed._**

**Thanks again, **

**jmtothemusic.**

* * *

*****Also, Ed's 12 years old, so this takes place after the Nina incident and Ciel is 13, because that's how old he is for the whole series, I believe.*****


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: This chapter is a little bit more Edward-centric, as Sebastian is trying to figure him out. Next chapter will have more about Ciel and Ed, and hopefully some Elizabeth for some amusement. Bear with me with this chapter, I wanted some Edward/Ciel psychology coming from Sebby, and some studying of their emotions/ opinions.__** Please enjoy!**_

* * *

Although Edward was disturbed that Sebastian had changed his clothing in the first place, he understood that it was plausible to happen again.

"You must get into day-time attire, Edward." Sebastian tounged, looking completely comfortable with the implications at hand.

"...Uh, okay, I guess..?" Edward pronounced awkwardly, shifting from leaning on his flesh leg, to his prosthetic.

"Would you like me to pick something of the young master's closet, or should I take you out shopping today?"

"...shopping's fine, but why can't I just wear my _normal _cloths?"

Sebastian chuckled at that remark. "Your other outfit is _far_ from normal, as you must know."

Ed rolled his eyes, barking "Yeah, well...whatever!"

"For now, wear the young Lord's casual attire, which consists of a blue blazer with a bow-tie made of satin, and a-"

Edward tuned him out by listening to somebody downstairs clanging around with dishes or something. Although curious, Ed stayed quiet to try and play off that he was listening to the Butler's rant about _clothing. _

He focused on the obnoxious noise coming from the floor below.

_**"Baldo! What're you doin' in there? It sounds like a tornado is passing through the kitchen, and breakfast's in ten minutes! Hurry up in there!**_**" **

Sebastian continued chattering about dressing people or something.

_**"I'm bloody-sorry Mei-Rin, but since you misplaced half 'me pans, it's quite difficult to find a dish to prepare the pancakes in!"**_

He then picked out the clothing he was ranting on about, and was unbuttoning the under-shirt.

**"**_**Well don't be so noisy, and I broke the pan a while ago, it's a shame you haven't noticed until now!" **_

He was asking Ed to do something, but he just ignored him by listening to the 'married couple' argument that became quite interesting.

**_"God dammit, you're quite clumsy, almost impossible to work with, here! How in the Hell am I supposed to prepare Pancakes, if I DON'T HAVE A GOD-DAMN PAN!"_**

**__**_"-_lift your arms above your head so I can dress you, Edward" Sebastian finished.

_Wait, what..?_

"..HELL, no!" Ed hollered, Sebastian taking a step back at the sudden noise: For a moment, he thought the kid would just comply with whatever he said, but it seemed he'd snapped back to reality.

"Then how do you suppose you will get dressed?" He responded calmly...amused.

"...I'll dress myself, creep! Jeeze, I'm not a fricken' princess!"

Sebastian chuckled, then stepped back to hand the clothing to Ed. Ed stared at them in his hand, quizzical about what he was supposed to put on. He then looked up at Sebastian questioningly, but not saying whatever sort of smart-ass remark was on his mind.

Instead, he began to unbutton his night-cloths, and was about to lift them over his head when he noticed Sebastian was still standing there...

..._watching._

"...Do you mind?!"

Sebastian sent him a questioning look, as though getting naked in front of a complete stranger was totally ordinary. He then gave an invisible shrug and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind him.

"...weird cloths, _weirder_ people... I don't know what's worse; starving on the streets or being naked in front of some creepy butler." Ed said sarcastically to himself.

* * *

At breakfast, Ciel sat at his own table plagued with discomfort: This uncomfortable feeling was not self-inflicted, however. It was a result of his..._guest's_ irritating manner of consumption.

The blonde haired boy, who sat a few months younger than the young master, was shoving food down his throat as though he was a cheetah catching an antelope in mid-air. Rather, a _starving _cheetah eating antelopes...

"...Do you mind?!" Ciel demanded, driven over the edge by this disgusting behavior.

Ed stopped mid chew to send an incredulous look toward the young Phantomhive boy, a look as though he didn't know how rude he was acting.

"You're chewing your food like you haven't eaten in weeks," Ciel claimed, pronouncing every syllable like it hurt, "and suddenly I've lost my appetite to eat any of the food within a few feet of your plate. Sebastian, prepare me something else."

Sebastian bowed respectfully and made his way to the kitchen; leaving Edward alone with the 'brat'.

"..You know, I actually haven't eaten anything somewhat substantial in a month." Ed stared down at his plate, not trying to make the obnoxious kid feel sorry for him, but wanting him to understand the position he was in.

Ciel scoffed at this; Edward didn't understand that Ciel had no sorrowful feelings for the lower class, as the boy had little respect for anybody at all.

Of course, the respect part (or lack there of) was similar to Edward, who didn't respect his superior officers despite their iron fists and intimidating commands: Ed was over-confident and cocky, but he was still different from Ciel when it came to political views.

Edward understood how it felt to be rich and famed; where he came from, he was a famous Alchemist, a hero. But Ciel wasn't aware that Edward was from another place, or that he was as well respected as the Phantomhive himself.

But nevertheless, Ed still had experience with the lower-class people of Amestris: He'd seen first hand that the miners in Yousewell were hard workers and respectable people; and yet, these people were just not given the same opportunity that Ciel was granted...they'd been taken advantage of.

Although Edward's view on life was more objective and empathetic than Ciel's view, he didn't dare to preach about how _wrong_ the kid actually was...he was getting fed by him, and at the moment, didn't really fancy the idea of being kicked out to the streets again.

...Of course, that didn't mean the alchemist wasn't going to glare the boy down all through breakfast. The said boy returned the attitude, and although he only had one eye showing (as the other was hidden beheath a patch), the glare was equally as full of anger and disapproval as the blonde- behemoth, as Ciel decided to nickname him.

"Your breakfast, my lord." announced Sebastian, breaking the silent staring contest. Ciel nodded at him as though to shoo him away, and began staring at Edward again.

* * *

**Sebastian's P.O.V: 3rd person **

The two boys were staring at one another with killing intent; it was a delicious-looking anger that became hotter and hotter as the day progressed: Sebastian was getting hungrier and hungrier by just observing the two.

_Both broken; both tempered; both arrogant; both challenging the other without understanding just what they were up against._

Even with the angry look in the children's eyes, Sebastian could see something else brewing inside the gaze his young master held;

_Respect, perhaps? _

_Yes, respect..._

Although it took the butler a moment, it was all clear: Ciel Phantomhive was glaring at the other boy with _respect._

...How is that even remotely possible?

It was possible...Ciel was never faced by somebody of lower-class in such a way; in the casting system, there was nothing but fear of the upper class coming from those below...but this other kid was acting as though it meant nothing to him.

He was glaring class in the face, for Christ's sake.

Edward was not afraid of Ciel; he'd set a boundary between the two of them that stated they exchange no words of compliment, no polite conversation, and _certainly_ not friendship.

However, he did not hold back his tounge: He argued and stated what was on his mind; although it angered Ciel greatly, it was something new...something _interesting_ to hear for the first time_._

And the most interesting part that Sebastian saw was Ciel's reaction; he complied.

He agreed to the rules that were laid out.

He would not participate in polite rich-talk. He would not befriend this boy. He would simply argue and glare at his guest.

_And there would be no point in glaring at somebody you thought of as lower..._

To Ciel, Edward was an equal...a rival, a behemoth, scum, but still...

_Equal._

Sebastian's gaze flicked between the two challenging stares, until he grinned to himself with amusement.

His young master was readable to him; he'd been with him for what seemed like forever: so it was clear what his opinions were of Edward.

But Edward was more difficult to understand, as he was foreign to Sebastian.

But he was readable enough for the butler to understand that there was more behind the boy's golden eyes than just anger or irritation...

There was something else.

_Yes,_ thought Sebastian, _my dinner is getting tastier by the second...and I may have just found dessert._

* * *

_To be honest, __**I need inspiration**__, because I wouldn't have written this chapter without it; your reviews are very...intimidating ( AngryPerson (Guest)), but all the angry reviews (and compliments too!) Really helped me write this chapter, plus I'm starting to fall in love with Black Butler all over again. (Fma's always been my fave, and recently I've been watching a lot more Naruto than either of Fma or B.B, or any other anime. The reviews are keeping me going, even though I just want to watch Naruto and sit on my ass.) _

_So, thanks for reading, hope you enjoy._

_**Reviews are**_** inspiration!**

_~jmtothemusic_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: O.O' ... I got some pretty...uh...****_threatening _****reviews from an angry person that if I don't update...well, her cat will piss on my bed in the night. And there will be no food. That really intimidated me to update...so...thank that angry reviewer for this update. O.O'**

* * *

Once the incredibly uncomfortable breakfast was over, and once Ciel had finished his 'morning tea', Sebastian had the day's schedule all planned out, including a violin lesson, a short meeting with a small toy-collecting company, and a quick visit from...well, Elisabeth.

"How could you forget to tell me this sooner?!" Ciel demanded, hollering with his accent-laced voice at his amused butler.

"I do apologize, master, but when our manufacturing company had a major break in one of their machines," he began, pulling out a broken, half finished toy in front of Ciel to further prove the factory's mistake; "I had to find a way to occupy the period of time between 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock, when you were going to show our new selections, and Elisabeth happened to be available in that time slot." Sebastian responded simply, earning some death glares from the young Phantomhive.

It was when Ciel tried to retort his demonic butler that the said butler noticed Edward doing something peculiure: He was no longer at the opposite end of the table, but in the kitchen rummaging through the goods like a hungry raccoon.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Ciel stood from his seated position, sending an angry look toward the young blonde, who stopped eating a long baguette mid-chew.

"Eating..?" Edward questioned sarcastically, as though eating a whole baguette was the most ordinary thing in the world, and Ciel was the strange one.

"P-put that down!" Ciel commanded, somewhat shocked that the other boy didn't understand how incredibly _rude _he was being.

But, because of his lack of respect to any human on the planet, Edward instead shoved the remaining half of the baguette down his throat in one swift chomp, and then chewed with his mouth open for extra measure.

"Disgusting!"

"I know," Ed started with a chuckle, "And you have to see that whenever you look into a reflective surface."

It took a minute for Ciel to register what Ed had just said to him, but once he did, his look of anger transformed into something...more vulgar.

"You lower-classed scum, how dare you insult your host in such a manor! Sebastian, get rid of this..this..."

"Save it, buddy," said Ed flatly, angrily, "I'm leaving, and you're not kicking me out! You are absolutely the most annoying, self-absorbed BRAT that anybody could possibly live with! You think you're so HIGH AND MIGHTY, well you didn't have to do a god-damn thing to get where you are, so take that rich-bitch attitude and shove it up your ass!"

"Why you...!" Ciel started, just when Sebastian guided Lizzy into the room. Ciel supressed his sharp retort before she could hear any of his bad-language.

"Ciel! How lovely it is to see you today!" She squealed joyously, beginning their routine of pointless small-talk which earned them Edward's roll of the eyes.

"The feeling is mutual, Elisabeth." Ciel forced, trying to avoid eye-contact with Edward as he started to walk out of the door, in case of getting set-off again.

Just when Edward had his hand on the door-knob, Elisabeth's gaze flickered from Ciel's to where the other boy stood; "And who might this be, Ciel? You didn't even introduce me!"

She made her way over to Ed, who rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Lizzy," Ciel stammered, "You don't need to speak with him, he is-"

"I'm sorry that Ciel didn't introduce me, but I'm his fiance, Lady _Elizabeth_ Ethel Cordelia Midford! _I am the daughter of the Leader of the British Knights, Marquis Alexis Leon Midford: Elizabeth! The wife of the Queen's watchdog!_" she stated proudly, the words pouring out of her mouth and overwhelming Edward, as he wanted OUT.

"Uh..." he tried, not beating around the bush like all the rich folks seemed to do WAY TOO MUCH: "Hi, I'm Ed."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at his blunt response, while Ciel face palmed visibly. The room was silent for about five seconds, with Sebastian curious as to what the young bride's response would be.

It was a short, curt response that was laced with bubbly excitement, and sickening in Ciel's eye;

"...You're a funny one, alright!"

Sebastian had to interject before Ciel would question her opinions of Edward with something embarrassing, and so he stated politely that the three should interact in a different room, such as the ball room.

Lizzy hopped up and down with giddy agreement, while Edward groaned with displeasure, and Ciel tried his absolute hardest to hide his negative feelings toward the idea.

* * *

Sebastian was..._studying, _to put it simply. He was studying the skills and behavior of his new dessert.

And what he found quite interesting, was his physical attributes.

Though short, he was quite strong and quite coordinated; he could tell be the way he walked.

But weather or not that was because of living on the streets, he didn't know yet.

Sebastian was a bit suspicious of the boy, wondering if he used his physical skill for fighting and such, so when he'd invited Elizabeth over for Ciel, the socialization was not intended to be a sit-down.

No, no...Sebastian understood enough about his young master and Edward to know that they were quite competative for their ages... and being the clever butler that he was, Sebastian was not about to let go of an oppertunity to use such a trait to his advantage.

Hence, the demon had decided the moment Lizzy walked through the door that there would be some ball-room fun.

* * *

Entering the ballroom, Ciel fiddled with his ring for a moment to let off some of his frustration with his guests...he knew that Sebastian intended for him and Elizabeth to dance, but he hadn't had a lesson in over a week, and didn't understand why his butler was so intent on the dance.

"Young lord, shall I perform a bit of Violin ball-room music?" Sebastian suggested, earning him a conspicuous, but agreeing nod from his master.

Sebastian started with a slow Waltz in 3/4, by what seemed to be Schubert, though Ciel did not recognize the piece. Nevertheless, he allowed Lizzy to poke and prod at his hair and face, scolding him on how he needed to wear more pink. Once she had stopped talking, and started to listen to the music, light entered her emerald eyes, and she grabbed Ciel by the arm and demanded they dance.

"Okay, Okay!" Ciel said angrily, not enjoying the rough tugging Elizabeth was doing to his coat. She stopped but still dragged him to the center of the room to slow dance to the beat of the tune.

Twirling and swirling on the dance floor, Lizzy's feet moved on their own with out a bit of hesitation or misunderstanding as to where they were placed next. She joyously moved her body with complete control, and both Edward and Sebastian admired her skill. As for Ciel, he couldn't maintain eye contact with her, being so focused on keeping up with her steps.

When he stumbled once, he recovered well and continued the dance, only to please her.

Sebastian was shocked to see that Ciel remembered most of the steps to the dance, despite not having a lesson in quite some time.

_Well,_ he thought deviously, _I'll just have to quicken the time, now won't I?_

When Sebastian's playing became more free, Lizzy's dancing remained the same; she twirled and swirled in circles, Ciel following her lead and stumbling too often to be overlooked. By the time he'd tripped over her feet five times, Elizabeth stopped dancing, Ciel tripping slightly, and sent him an angry look.

"What in the bloody hell are tryin' to pull here, Ciel?!" She asked with a playful, yet dissatisfied tone.

"I'm trying my best, Elizabeth, forgive me!." He said sarcastically, eyebrows knitting together with annoyance.

She huffed, looking up at Sebastian in a way that confused him. "Well, I do want to dance...I'm tired of getting so many lessons and never actually using the steps I've learned..."

Sebastian grinned inwardly, "Well, I do apologize for my master's mistakes. He has not had time for a lesson in two full weeks, and so he's became quite uncoordinated and rusty." he then added smoothly, "But I do not intend to disappoint our guest, so if I could find you a new partner for the day, I would be deeply honored."

Lizzy's face contoured with question, not knowing weather she would like to dance with anybody but Ciel...he _was _the reason she'd had to learn to dance, anyway... But, she did want to dance, so if she could find a new partner, it'd be quite alright.

Ciel stood impatiently, not understanding exactly what Sebastian was trying for.

"Well.." said Lizzy, "I would ask you, Sebastian, but since you're playing the music, I suppose it's not the best plan..."

Her eyes scanned the room, spotting Ciel again who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. Sebastian, who patiently stood at the top of the Victorian stair-case with his violin in hand, like an extention of his body almost. Then, her eyes drifted to Edward, who was fiddling with his right-hand beneath his glove, sitting tirelessly on the stairs, occasionally glancing up at the two.

"What about you, Ed? Would you like to dance?" Lizzy asked excitedly.

He stopped fidgeting and looked at her. Ciel's head snapped up from the floor as his face changed from annoyed, to furious.

"No, Elizabeth, you may not dance with him!"

"But Ciel, if you can't dance with me, then what am I supposed to do?! You won't let me decorate the house pink, and you keep tripping! The least you can do is let me have a little dance with him!" She said, Ciel sighing with slight apology. "I mean, who even is he..? Why is he even here, why didn't you introduce me?"

There were so many questions that Ciel decided it would be best to let her dance with Edward. He didn't want to have to explain what the situation was, that he was in a fix with his manufacturing company's breakage, and needed to use Edward to earn support from all classes. Plus, he didn't want to look like he _needed_ Edward to fix his own issue.

"Fine, Lizzy, you can dance with him. Just to let you know, I doubt he even knows _how. _He's a street rat." He said bitterly. Elizabeth almost asked another question, when Edward interjected.

"Hey, who says I do or don't know how, and who says I even _want_ to dance?!"

"Aw, but you just gotta!" Lizzy begged desperately. Ciel almost found himself helping her, just because he wanted to watch Edward trip over his own feet.

"I don't _have _to do anything."

Sebastian knew where this was going, so he broke up the fight by..._making a deal,_ so to speak...or rather, blackmailing the boy.

"Edward," the demon began, "I do believe that it is noon time, and it is my understanding that you eat lunch around an hour past, correct? Well, with Elizabeth here, I will have to have our chef make an extra meal, and as you know it can get quite expensive. It would be so much easier if she were to just leave... but since she's not going to be leaving for a while, I suppose I'll just have to take away _your _meal, am I correct?"

Ed took a minute to process what Sebastian was threatening to do. Threatening was the word for it; if one was to take Edward's belongings, his clothing or his money, he could make amends, but if he were to take his food- well, that was a threat on a whole other level.

"WHAT?! You can't just not feed me!" He shouted, and just because the timing was right, his stomach growled. Lizzy giggled at the scene in front of her, pleased to have the afternoon in her way.

"Well, I suppose I could cook a bit _extra_ if you were to do Elizabeth a small favor, as she _is_ our _guest..."_

Elizabeth exploded with joy, and Ciel chuckled to himself, happy to see Edward in a defensive position. He stepped aside, excited to watch the irritating kid trip over himself and hopefully fall strait onto his-

"Fine." Edward said, standing and trudging heavily over to Elizabeth. _'He doesn't know how to dance, he's a street rat.'_ Thought Ciel.

When the Waltz began again, Elizabeth and Edward took position gracefully, and went through Elizabeth's steps with no trouble at all. They twirled and swirled along the dance floor with perfection, as though they'd practiced the dance a thousand times. It angered Ciel to see the lower-classed boy dancing so well, with so much more coordination than himself.

He just wanted to watch the other boy fall.

"Sebastian", he commanded, "Speed it up."

When Sebastian sped up the beat, the two continuing the complicated movements in a faster pace, Ciel continued to send Sebastian looks to go faster and faster. Soon, Lizzy and Edward were dancing to a much faster piece, and a different movement.

Ciel could see her smiling pleasently.

"You're very good, Edward." Lizzy complimented, just barely keeping up with his movements. "I see you've taken the lead, here!"

Edward grinned goofily. "Ah, I just think of it as martial arts...you push, I dodge by backing up. Then I push, you get out of the way... you know."

She didn't know, but Sebastian did. _Information received,_ he thought to himself, now understanding that Edward wasn't just a helpless little street boy, that he was skilled in martial arts. He was a fighter.

When Lizzy tripped a few times, yet Edward continued as though it was the easiest thing in the world, Ciel was groaning inwardly. He couldn't say he was jealous, because he was only a bit upset that Edward hadn't fallen yet. It irritated him to no end to see the boy's success with his fiance.

They graciously twirled, keeping to the repatoir but also being more free about their movements. It was controlled, but yet, they could easily add dips and lifts into the original dance...even to Ciel, it was beautiful...he could not believe that this boy could dance so perfectly, and to be completely honest, that his fiance could look so magnificant.

"Heh, I'm pretty good, aren't I?" Ed said cockily, smirking a signiture smirk at Lizzy who giggled with amusement.

"Yeah, you're quite good, but it's a little hard since you're shorter than me."

The minute the words were out, Edward halted abruptly, causing Lizzy to trip over him and almost fall to the ground as he broke the gracious feel and raised an obnoxious fist into the air, all the time hollaring at the top of his lungs; "WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEEK THAT YOU COULDN'T DANCE WITH BECAUSE YOU'D BE TO AFRAID THAT YOU'D TRIP OVER HIM LIKE HE WAS A PEBBLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OPEN GROUND?!"

"She didn't say any of that!" Ciel screamed, racing down the fleight of stairs to make sure Elizabeth wasn't crying from the comment, to see that although she looked teary-eyed, she'd stopped herself from crying at the realization of what had just been said.

And she was laughing at Edward, pointedly laughing.

"Did you hear what he said, Ciel?! AHHA! Ciel, I didn't say any of those ridiculous things! He's completely off his rocker!"

Ciel let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding in, and allowed himself to smile a bit at the outburst. Sebastian's playing had also stopped, and he himself was grinning slightly. Edward stood in a defensive position, angrily glaring at Lizzy for laughing at his height (or lack there of), and suddenly, he thundered out of the room, all the while yelling about not being short, or something.

Ciel offered Lizzy a hand, and she tenderly took it. "Thank you for having me, Ciel, it was a pleasure to be here."

Ciel smiled warmly at her. "No, no. The pleasure is all mine."

He lead her out the door, watching her carrage pick her up, "Oh," she added before sitting into the padded seating, "And tell Edward I said goodbye, it was fun...while it lasted."

Ciel frowned, not wanting to associate at all with Edward, but nevertheless, he nodded to please her and saw her off.

* * *

Sebastian was assisting in the preparations for lunch, and recalling all of the day's happenings:

He'd pleased his young master, obviously, but moreover, he'd learned something about his little research subject.

His suspicious were comfirmed; Edward was a martial artist. It was quite easy to determine it once he'd seen him dance.

_He fits the description,_ Sebastian thought to himself, _Golden hair, Golden eyes, short tempered and short himself...yes, and a martial artist...Edward Elric; the son of Van Hoenheim. _

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**__****_A/N: Sorry for the late update, I've been touring France, so I'm pretty busy. Please forgive, and this chapter is 2,900-something words, so I hope it'll hold you guys over while I update my other fics (though I'll update ASAP). I know this chap. is a bit rushed, blame vacation stress (lol that's sorta counter productive, am I right?) I'm working on a few edits to the plot of this story (yes, there is a plot, though it's not quite apparent yet. The story will not change too much but it will get more exciting.) _**

**___Ad.: Check out my FMA fic, "How Could You"; Edward has currently been in jail for 6 days, 23 hours, and 42 minutes. The reason..? For the murder of Colonel Roy Mustang. (Mystery, Angst, Crime, touch of humor)._**

**___Thanks for reviews! (Even the terrifying ones...)_**

**_REVIEWS ARE INSPIRATION! :D_**


	5. Chapter 5

_''Golden hair, golden eyes...yes, Edward Elric, the son of Von Hoenheim."_

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__When Ciel had gotten the call that morning, he'd felt the tick marks forming their irritated marks on his normally flawless forehead. The idiots who'd made such a blunder, he presumed, were uneducated, lower-classed fools who clearly had now skill with their own work-place. If he were the manager (though as a Phantomhive, he was way above such an occupation), he would have fired them on the spot.

Except, this presumption wasn't at all the situation in the first place.

The Phantomhive family-run toy manufacturing company had not created Ciel's newest edition correctly: Ciel's newest edition was a set of children's toys for boys ages three to eight, and it consisted of a wooden train set, a miniature, beginner's violin and music, and a fake rifle. However, his company had made a major stitching error, as the cloth that covered the vintage train set had overlapping stitching, tears, and even lacked the proper coloration in some parts. Though the sin became worse, as the violin's wood was carved completely incorrectly; the tuners were warped into lop-sided rectangles, the body of the instrument con-caved in the center...the whole project was a complete catastrophe.

He slammed his fist on the dining-room table, seated at the head with Sebastian grinning patiently at his side, though curiously staring down at his master's fist.

"Sebastian, I need you to contact our manager immediately, send him here and have him explain this mess." He demanded sourly, shoving the disappointing toys out of his line of vision as Sebastian kneeled with his hand over his heart, softly saying the words "Yes, my lord".

The butler placed the toys onto a satin cloth, and tied the ends into a neat, precise bow before swiftly placing them into a small leather suitcase. Before he had the chance to buckle it, Ciel pipped, "No, I want to see him _here._ I need to have a personal conversation with him."

Sebastian grinned devilishly and bowed curtly before exiting the dining room in seek of the Phantomhive Manufacturing Co. manager.

On his way out, however, Sebastian had the time to swiftly enter Edward's room, finding the boy soundly napping beneath his Master's silk sheets, a small frown on his face that he seemed to never remove. He went about his waking routine, saying good morning to the sleeping boy and sighing after each of his polite attempt to waken him, only to end up with failure.

Reluctantly, since the butler was in a hurry, he placed a gloved hand on Ed's shoulder, nudging him a bit before he heard an irritated groan that indicated the boy was awakening.

"Edward, breakfast has already been served, and I'm not sure you fancy your pancakes and eggs cold on a chilly autumn morning."

With that, Ed's eyes flew open and his stomach growled fittingly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, Sebastian had quickly become used to unusual routine of having little to no involvement in Edward's dressing habits, yet taking a huge roll of being his alarm.

Once he was sure the boy wouldn't go back to sleeping and miss breakfast all together, he decided it was time to exit the Phantomhive manner and be on his way to the Manufacturing Company.

* * *

Edward wasn't in the mood to wake up, and considered just snoozing a bit more since Sebastian clearly wasn't pushing him today, but when the smell of warm pancakes wafted into his nose it was impossible to take the risk of missing the delicious breakfast he was sure to have waiting for him downstairs. He rummaged through his drawers, removing the outfit the 'creep' butler had selected for him that day, and threw it on quickly just because he knew Ciel wouldn't have it if he went downstairs without his formal ware.

When he was completely honest with himself, he knew Ciel was an arrogant jerk who didn't know how to think outside of his little world of wealth and class: And after meeting him and living with him for almost four days (yes, he felt like a moocher but did he really have a choice?), he could see how damn fortunate he was to be able to inherit this easy life-style of being taken care of by all that surround you.

But then again, when he really introverted and was TRUELY completely honest with himself, he could see that Ciel did what he thought of as right, and that although he clearly played dirty politics to get where he wanted to be, in reality he actually was able to do a lot of good on the way. He was ignorant and unable to see the world outside his microcosm, lacked empathy and was just plain selfish for the most part, but Ed could see that there was more to him than meets the eye.

And to be truly, completely and totally honest with himself, Edward wanted to find out more about this Ciel.

Meandering his way to the dining room, Edward found the buffet arranged beautifully across the table, and was thankful he'd decided to get off his lazy ass and eat. Seated across from him was Ciel, who had a bitter expression on his frowning-face and a half-consumed pancake on his dish.

Edward sent him a quizzical look, not bothering to say 'good morning' even though among the wealthy it was expected, and Ciel simply scowled at him profusely.

Ed decided not to respond to that at all, since he A) wanted to eat the delicious meal displayed in front of him and B) really didn't give a flying shit.

Ciel watched Edward..._absorb_ the food in front of him (in a matter of seconds), and went about his business of insulting Ed's poor manors and disgusting style of eating.

"Whatever, pirate-boy." Was all Edward had to say about it, after hearing Ciel insult his eating-habbits for the tenth time in four days, he was completely bored with arguing with him over the subject: He'd come to notice that Ciel's opinion was never swayed and supported with solid _evidence,_ while Ed's counter that Ciel was, "just acting like he had a stick up his a-" (always to be promptly cut off by Sebastian), was not all that effective. Since Edward noticed this reoccurring issue in his argument, he decided it would be best to quit the mission for a while, so that he could promote peace in the house-hold, as he was the mature one of the two boys. (AKA, to brainstorm a better argument so he could hit Ciel with it while he's caught off guard, and win this thing once and for all.)

"Pirate boy?! That doesn't even make sense." Ciel stated angrily, folding his hands in his lap and crossly looking away from his guest.

"Actually it does, Pirate boy, since you wear a frickin' eye-patch." Ed said, crossing his arms and staring directly at Ciel even though Ciel wasn't looking back, even if it would only make him feel uncomfortable.

"Not all pirates wear eye-patches, and wearing one doesn't make you a pirate!"

"...Hm, agree to disagree..?"

They continued like that until Ciel frustratedly threw his hands in the air and left the table, leaving a snickering Edward behind to steal the remains of the other boy's pancake as well as all the other foods.

But Edward noticed something from the other side of the table; it was a brown, leather suit-case that was left sitting out, opened, as though someone would be addressing it later on. As a scientist, curiosity hit Edward over the head before he could even think that he was snooping, and he promptly stood from his seat and made his way to the case.

Inside, he found the broken toys, and Edward recognized the train set immediately: On his third birthday, his father had given him one that he was sure was an exact copy. He reached into the case, and lifted the distorted set, examining the torn cloth and remembering the structure of the one he used to have.

With a clap of the hands and a flash of blue light, Edward held the once-distorted train-set good as new, scanning it for any flaws and smiling down at his work, and upon noticing the other broken toys, another clap and flash had them fixed before anybody could comprehend what had happened. Holding the fixed violin, he didn't hear the steps making their way into the dining room.

When Ciel noticed Edward holding the train, he almost yelped at him to set it down immediately, that he shouldn't be touching such delicate creations. But when he paused for a moment, remembering the torn cloth and lop-sided shape of the toy, he quizzically gazed at the now-fixed toy, a shocked look in his uncovered eye.

"How did you..." His voice startled Edward out of his thoughts, his head snapping to Ciel's direction and he quickly tossed the toy into the briefcase, realizing what he'd done.

"I..."

"That train set was broken...the manufacturers made a huge mistake. How did you fix it?"

Ed was at a loss for words, his quick mind not surveying the situation fast enough to come up with a believable excuse, so he simply shrugged and attempted to leave Ciel hanging.

"Hey!" Ciel shouted after him, turning on his heel to chase the other boy. Edward knew no other method to escape the situation, except to run away, so the two ended up prancing their way through the various halls of the mansion, ending up outside in the flower garden where Ciel finally caught up to Edward's uneven footfalls, and threw himself onto him, rolling into a sitting position to pin him to the ground.

"What the Hell!" Ed shouted between short gasps for air, as he was more physically fit than Ciel, who spent most of his time seated.

"I should be saying such vulgar language to you! You're running through my mansion like a maniac!"

"Well why the Hell are you chasing me?!"

"How did you fix the toys?!"

Ed's body relaxed under Ciel's weight, his eyebrows knitting together as he whipped up a quick lie.

"I sewed the fabric together." he said quickly, as Ciel's lips pouted at him.

"You couldn't have done it that fast."

"But I did."

Ciel paused, a shadow of doubt consuming him. "Then where did you find the needle and thread?" He demanded, to which Edward responded,

"The closet outside of the kitchen."

"Wrong, Sebastian keeps the needles and thread in the upstairs office." Ciel corrected, catching Edward's lie. Edward rolled his eyes, trying to avoid the topic.

While the two boys were busy staring one another down, they hadn't realized a carriage had pulled into the driveway. Sebastian stepped out from the parked cart, opening the door to reveal the Manufacturing cooperation Manager, who glanced at the magnificent house before him, before hearing the scuffling and shouting from the garden. Sebastian quickly recovered and almost laughed when he saw his young master pinning the other boy to the ground.

_Now, what have we here..?_

The Manager's eyes almost popped out of his head while he surveyed the scene in front of him, the all mighty Phantomhive pinning his guest to the ground of a flower garden, his white gloves coated thickly with dirt, and shouting profanities at the other boy.

"Wh-What is going on, Mr. Michaelies?!"

"Please relax, I apologize for my Master's behavior, it seems our guest has had another argument. The two just cannot seem to get along." He apologized smoothly, making his way over to the two.

"So I give you a place to stay and this is how you thank me?! You're rude and ungrateful!" Ciel yelled angrily.

"Oh, and you're callin' me rude, mister high-and-mighty, you've pinned me in the dirt! And don't forget that these are your cloths that are gonna be totaled!" Ed countered, seething and panting from the pressure of the boy above him.

"Why you-"

Sebastian tapped Ciel on the shoulder to which the boy whirled around, and before his butler could say anything at all, he noticed he had company.

"Oh..." he stuttered, embarrassed by his rude actions. Beneath him, Edward snickered at him and stuck out his tounge. "I'm sincerely sorry, you must be the Corperation's manager." He said, removing himself from Edward who jumped to his feet and flicked the dirt from his outfit, though he couldn't say he minded getting Ciel's clothing a bit messy.

"It's alright, I suppose...and yes, I'm Phantomhive cooperation's manager, you may call me Mister Josephs." He shook Ciel's hand quickly, as though he was afraid Ciel would pounce on _him_ if he didn't.

Sebastian led him into the house, seating him in the dining room and handing Ciel the suitcase and toys so he may present the issue. Edward leaned in the doorway, amused at Ciel's struggle to explain the issue with the toys, since now he had no evidence to present an issue that used to be there.

"You see..."he started, "There's been a mistake in your factory with the production of my newest edition."

When he placed the three toys in front of himself, and the man noticed no problem, he could have blushed. Except, he didn't, since he really didn't think much of the man across from him. Sebastian's face changed slightly at the sight of the fixed toys, but he kept his calm composure, sending a few glances between Ciel and Edward. Edward's face turned red with the urge to laugh, but he managed to resist.

"I'm sorry, but I don't notice a problem."

Ciel paused, not knowing to turn the situation around to his favor, considering just sending the man away. But upon seeing Edward's amusement, he felt a rush of determination to fix the situation.

"Actually, there was an issue with the toys before," Edward's face changed from amusement to questioning, not understanding where Ciel was going with this, but dreading it either way. "But my guest Edward here," He said gesturing to where Ed stood in the doorway, "Was able to fix it. I think he will be able to explain the problem, and promote a solution." He finished, sitting back in his chair proudly, sending a devious and expectant glance to Edward, who looked completely blank.

"Uh...I-...I'm a fast sewer..?"

And the room went silent.

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A/N: Lol, this chapter will have to continue later. I have no time to edit this except for spelling issues, but I'm sure you guys want the chap. as early as possible.

Thanks for reading! PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! :)

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Angryperson (guest): Thanks for the long review on "How Could You". You don't seem so angry anymore, maybe it's because you're recovering...? Hey, at least no cats have peed on my bed and there's still food in my house. (This just got awkward... remember that was one of your threats..?...remember...?)

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THANKS FOR REVIEWS!


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